-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- In BBC America 's new prime time drama , `` Copper , '' Irish-immigrant detective Kevin Corcoran roams from the filthy slums of Five Points to the glimmering sidewalks of Fifth Avenue -- all with a set of brass knuckles snugly resting on his fingers .

The year is 1864 , and the tattered remnants of an ongoing Civil War remain in New York City . Blood is regularly spilled on the cobblestones and in dirty back alleyways . No one gives a man carrying the body of a young dead girl through the streets a second glance , but they balk at the idea of women wanting to vote .

It seems oddly fitting that `` Copper , '' premiering on Sunday at 10 p.m. ET , takes place in America , and is the channel 's first original scripted series . The U.S. branch of the well-known British network wanted to explore a part of American history that has only been seen in `` Gangs of New York . ''

Historically accurate details , woven into the backbone of `` Copper , '' transform it from period drama to believable reality .

For Anastasia Griffith , the world of `` Copper '' came to life as she was laced tightly into her corset , learning to breathe as her character , socialite Elizabeth Haverford , would breathe .

For Ato Essandoh , it was leafing through the worn leather journal of his character , Dr. Matthew Freeman , to discover ornate , accurate sketches of medicinal roots from 1864 .

And for Tom Weston-Jones , it was opening a keepsake box of letters , only to find actual letters that gave him more insight into his character , detective Kevin Corcoran .

Kevin Ryan became so immersed in his character , detective Francis Maguire , that he consistently ate with his prop knife .

`` It 's about honoring the details , '' Griffith said . `` And it 's an added bonus if you have something to dig into , and take you away from yourself .

Although the series carries certain devices of other crime dramas , they are covered in the grit and deceit of a point in New York 's history that is rarely portrayed . The actors sport hand-sewn satin gowns and rugged leather coats against a realistic backdrop of swampy , methane stench-ridden Five Points and the clean-swept cream-colored sidewalks of Fifth Avenue on a 212,500 square-foot studio lot .

Treachery , deceit and intrigue are rampant in Five Points , and disguised little better behind the facades of the Fifth Avenue brownstone .

`` There is something very underdog-ish about all of the characters played by Kyle Schmid , Anastasia , Ato and I , '' Weston-Jones said . `` We 've all come up from below for very different reasons . ''

His character , Corcoran , embodies a blend of backstreet tenacity and well-honed honor as he doggedly pursues the truth amidst his own crookedly led Sixth Precinct .

The 10-part series , created by Tom Fontana -LRB- best known for `` Homicide : Life on the Street '' and other dramas -RRB- and produced by Barry Levinson -LRB- the acclaimed director of films like `` Diner '' -RRB- , unfurls with Corcoran investigating a girl 's death while trying to find his missing wife and solve his daughter 's murder .

Meanwhile , he reconnects with two men , aristocrat Robert Morehouse , played by Schmid , and physician Matthew Freeman , who Corcoran fought alongside during the Civil War . The series explores the mysterious events that forged their bond during their time served in the Union Army .

While the plot may be full of dark twists and turns , there are also unexpected moments of humor .

`` To find humor in the darkness is a very Barry -LSB- Levinson -RSB- thing , '' Griffith said . `` Barry always sees the humor in every moment . That 's life -- however dark things get , the reality of the moment is actually kind of funny , and that 's something Tom -LSB- Fontana -RSB- and Barry do very well , this balance of light and dark . ''

Moral ambiguity is what connects most of the characters to one another , although societal differences try to keep them apart .

For Griffith , playing a woman in 1864 gave the added challenge of balancing an old-fashioned constraint with her own mettle .

`` It was really about marrying two aspects : being tightly bound physically but at the same time , being very spirited and free inside , '' she said .

Essandoh faced the same challenge as another intelligent `` underdog '' of the time .

`` Kind of the way Anastasia is bound by her clothes , station and by being a woman , I am bound by being a black man in 1864 , where racism is rampant and pretty much the norm of society , '' Essandoh said .

`` He is a fantastically gifted physician and scientist so there is that want , especially as a man , to say ` look at all the stuff I am doing , ' but not being able to express his own pride in his work and display it because of the unfortunate nature of racism . ''

The scenes are juxtapositions of brothels to drawing rooms , and ripped rags to tiered silk dresses . `` Copper '' layers these settings , between Five Points and Fifth Avenue , with Carmansville , a developing African-American community that later becomes part of Harlem , while weaving in societal tensions of immigration and race .

Amidst the turbulence , `` Copper '' hopes to illustrate where America , and New York , came from by showing such a pivotal point in the city 's history .

`` We 're really watching the birthplace of Manhattan happen and I think that is a pretty dynamic environment , '' Griffith said .

But you may have to wait until the DVD releases to see an extra when Griffith and Schmid drop it like it 's hot to Sir Mix-A-Lot 's `` Baby Got Back '' in period costume during a ballroom scene .

`` Sex , drugs , violence and Sir Mix-A Lot , '' Schmid and Weston-Jones joked . `` What 's not to like ? ''

Watch the trailer for `` Copper ''

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BBC America 's new show `` Copper '' focuses on New York 's turbulence in 1864

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It is the channel 's first original scripted series

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`` Copper '' explores both the slums of Five Points and the glamor of Fifth Avenue